


Don't Forget to Call

by failufail



Series: ひさしぶり (Hisashiburi) [2]
Category: Johnny's Entertainment
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Friendship, Gen, rated for language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-12
Updated: 2014-01-12
Packaged: 2019-04-06 16:56:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14061327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/failufail/pseuds/failufail
Summary: Jin decides on a surprise visit.





	Don't Forget to Call

**Author's Note:**

> Written in January of 2014. Like it says in the summary, it's a sequel to _ひさしぶり (Hisashiburi)_. I would _highly_ recommend reading that one first, if you haven't already, before reading this. It'll make a lot more sense. I was planning on making this a series, but sadly it never came to fruition. :(

Jin had no idea what he was doing.

It had been a week since the news that KAT-TUN would continue on as four had been formally announced. About a week before the formal announcement, Jin had heard the buzz from Yamapi, who heard it from Ryo, who heard talk amongst the juniors that the members of KAT-TUN were seen leaving the jimusho all at once. Contrary to popular belief, Jin tried to keep up with what was going on with his former group. Though he looked like he could care less, he was still affected if something were to happen to any of its members. When he heard the whispers and gossip, but knew nothing of its nature, his interest was piqued.

Months had passed since the incident on the roof of the jimusho. Jin supposed that he and Kame were on somewhat good terms now, although they hadn’t really spoken since then. They’d been discovered on the rooftop that same night by Kame’s irritated manager. Luckily someone had seen Kame disappear through the door leading to the roof. It had taken some investigation, a cell phone with tons of missed calls and messages, and its missing owner to finally find him.

If manager-san wasn’t already irritated enough by Kame’s disappearance, finding him comfortably sitting next to Jin on the roof probably grated on his final nerve. The scowl on his face deepened, but he didn’t ask any questions. Kame explained the situation calmly, assured him that he was perfectly fine, and they all made their way back into the building, going their separate ways. Before they did, Jin and Kame exchanged numbers, uttering a friendly promise to try to keep in touch.

It was summer then, and now the season passed seamlessly into autumn. A lot had happened since then.

Jin had indeed made a comeback. His first single since his hiatus was surprisingly successful, and proved that he still had quite a large fan base. Riding on the waves of this success, Jin’s drive was boosted. He was working again. He was in the studio doing what he loved, and he came home to a daughter that he loved even more. Regardless of his formal relationship to Meisa, he was still happy to have her there. It was uncomplicated.

Everything seemed perfect for Jin. Everything was finally falling into place.

A second single and the announcement of a new album and tour later, Jin was happy. He felt like he was floating on Cloud Nine.

That’s why, when Jin heard the news, his mood was ruined.

The first thing he did was grab his cell phone. He instantly brought up Kame’s number and stared at it for a good while. On one hand, he didn’t want to intrude. He didn’t know if Kame would even accept the call, even though they were supposedly on better terms now. On the other hand, there was a part of Jin that knew, _just knew_ , that Kame was hurting over this. He wanted to offer his support, but he didn’t know if Kame would accept it, considering the circumstances of his own exit from the group. He could quite possibly be the last person that Kame wanted to hear from. Then again, what kind of friend would be if he _didn’t_ try? This was what had caused their relationship to crumble in the first place.

He decided to leave it be until he heard more.

Unfortunately, he didn’t hear much more. Not so much from the jimusho—people really were keeping quiet, or they just didn’t want to talk about it. They made their announcement, and that was that. Koki was gone. The jimusho was almost making it like he never even existed. The whole mess made Jin uneasy. What if Johnny decided that he wouldn’t be making a comeback? What if Johnny decided to terminate _his_ contract with the agency? Would it have been the same?

He caught Kame’s rounds on the morning news shows a couple days later, and that was when Jin decided that he couldn’t keep quiet about it anymore.

After he finished his work in the studio that day, he made his way home to have dinner with his family. Meisa had been giving Theia new foods to experiment with lately, and it always proved amusing to watch her either a) poke and prod at the new food, b) give a big, bright smile when she ate something she liked, or c) fling the food off the table, making a mess of everything. Jin loved watching her grow up. All the little things warmed his heart.

As Theia was currently smearing her mashed pears onto her highchair, Jin brought up the subject of KAT-TUN to Meisa.

“If it’s really bothering you that much, you should go see him,” she told him. “I get that you think it isn’t your place anymore, but you’re probably the only person who would understand. Kame’s smart enough to know that too.”

Meisa was rational. She always was.

“So you don’t mind if I…”

She sighed, rolling her eyes. “Go, Jin. I assure you that Theia will be fine without her daddy putting her to sleep for one night.” There was a moment’s pause, and she laughed. “Although, I can’t guarantee that she won’t miss you singing her a lullaby.”

In the end, Jin stayed at home to put Theia to sleep anyway.

It was probably for the better that he ended up in front of Kame’s door somewhere closer to midnight rather than earlier. As far as he knew, Kame was still filming for his drama and more than likely wouldn’t be arriving home until late. There was a chance that he wouldn’t even be home…

…and Jin was right.

He tried twice to ring the doorbell and give it time for someone to come to the door. When nobody did, Jin frowned and was disappointed that the six-pack of beer he brought over would probably end up in his own fridge at home. It was worth a try, though.

When he turned to head back to the elevators, he heard the faint ‘ding’ of one of them arriving at the floor from the hall. A moment later, Jin saw Kame walking down the hall towards his door; towards _him_. Kame stopped halfway, looking up from fumbling with his keys, finally seeing Jin.

“Jin?” Kame asked, surprised at his current, unannounced company.

Jin opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, after a minute of trying to find the right words, he settled for the peace-offering approach. He held up the plastic bag which held the six-pack and gave Kame a sheepish smile. “Beer?”

Kame raised an eyebrow. “Really, beer. That’s all.”

Jin sighed, and tried again. “No… I mean, I would have called. I just figured with what happened, you… well, you know.” He wasn’t the best at expressing himself at the right moment. “I saw you on TV this morning.”

“Oh.” Kame looked away, but then looked back up at Jin and frowned. “I don’t need pity, Akanishi.”

Now Jin was frustrated. He huffed and replied with, “Dammit Kame, I’m not here for a fucking pity party. I’m here because I was _concerned_. Don’t even try to tell me you’re okay because you’re not. _I saw you today._ You did a shit job of hiding your feelings.”

It looked like Kame wanted to say something, but considering the roller coaster of questions and explanations he’d been through at almost every news program throughout the day, he just sighed and walked passed Jin to unlock his door. He was probably just tired and getting into an argument was the last thing he wanted to do. Besides, Jin knew that he was right about what he said.

He followed Kame into his apartment.

After kicking their shoes off, Jin headed to the couch and placed the six-pack on the table, popping off the caps of two bottles. Kame followed his lead wordlessly, sitting at the other end of the couch and grabbing one of the two bottles.

It was quiet. Jin didn’t know what else to say. Years ago, he would have just opened his arms and Kame would automatically fall into them, airing out his frustrations freely, without judgment. Now it would be awkward. Jin didn’t really know what to expect by coming here. They didn’t assume that they hated each other anymore, but they were stuck in a limbo where they weren’t just acquaintances anymore, but not good friends yet, either.

Who knew if they ever would be again?

They sat in silence for a while, sipping on their beers, not saying a word. Somehow, it was comfortable like that. It was a little awkward, yes, but what was there _to_ say at a time like this?

It was Kame who broke the silence first. “I don’t know what the hell is happening anymore.” He set his beer back down on the table.

Jin assumed there was more he wanted to say, so he kept quiet.

Kame rubbed his face with his hands. “It’s… different this time.” He took a pause and a breath. “With you, I kind of expected it. I knew it; that point where you found yourself for the first time in a long time. And in a way, I was content with your decision, and I knew it was the right one. I think everyone was too, even if you did it on your own accord, without speaking to the rest of us. I understood— _we_ understood.”

Jin nodded. There was no use opening that old can of worms, but he was happy to know that. It was something he never got a reaction to personally.

“We went out, the five of us, to talk. We knew what was going on with Koki—we’ve known for a long time—and honestly we were worried. I hoped that this meeting would help get him back on the right track again.” He paused. “Maybe it did, but who knows. In the end, after all our suggestions, airing out our thoughts and feelings… it ended like this. We all agreed that this would be for the best, and we knew the repercussions; we were prepared. It’s just… the reality of it hit a lot harder than how we thought it would.”

There was nothing Jin could say to that, but what was there _to_ say?

Kame leaned over to the table and grabbed his beer again.

Now, it was awkward.

“Real Face won’t sound the same anymore,” Jin stated, trying to back out of the awkward silence. Although in retrospect, it may have not been the best choice of words.

“Fuck off, Jin,” Kame said with a frown. “Don’t you think we fucking know that already? It hasn’t _sounded_ the same for the last few years.”

“I’m just—“

“You’re not making it any better.”

Sometimes, Jin really believed that his brain needed to catch up with his mouth.

“Look, Kame,” Jin started again. “Okay, so maybe that was a stupid thing to say, but now KAT-TUN’s four. It’s going to be different. You guys decided to go on, and that’s… that’s good. Great. Koki made no secret about loving the fans—all of you guys too—and it’s good that you guys are going to keep that alive. It’s admirable, and it’s good to stand strong as a group with what’s going on.”

“What are you getting at, Jin?”

Jin thought about it for a moment. Even he didn’t know what he was getting at exactly. He shifted his position on the couch to lean forward a little. “Have you ever thought of what _you_ want? I mean, regardless of the fans and what everyone else wants. Each of you. Individually.”

Kame looked away, his gaze darting to the floor. 

"I know you put the group above everything. You always have," Jin said carefully. "For a second, even as selfish as it sounds, can you put yourself first? What do _you_ want?"

Kame's eyebrows furrowed as he looked back at Jin. He looked a little offended at first, but then the expression on his face smoothed. For a split second, Jin thought he saw vulnerability on Kame's face; the kind he would never _ever_ show the world. But it was just a nanosecond, a flash, and then just like that, it was gone. Kame's face was as collected as before.

It didn't look like he had an answer for Jin.

"What I want," Kame began hesitantly, "is for things to go back to how they were before."

His voice was quiet, and he looked away again. The hand that was resting on his knee was gripping it tightly. 

Jin cocked his head to the side curiously. "Before...?"

"You heard what I said," Kame said steadily, nervously. "Before. Before Koki left, before you left, before..." His voice hitched. "...before everything. Because I don't understand why everything is falling apart. Everything we worked so hard for..."

"Kame."

"No, Jin." He held his hand up, keeping Jin from speaking. He placed his bottle back on the table. "There was a point when this mattered to everyone, wasn't there? At some point all that mattered was that we were together and we _made it_ , we actually made it... and we did it together. And now, everything... everything we worked for, everything we dreamed of, it's crumbling. I'm trying to piece things together, but it's getting harder and harder to do." Kame let out a shaky breath. "I don't know how many more times I can do this and keep a hopeful and positive face in front of the cameras. For the fans."

Jin sighed. "You don't have to."

"But I _need_ to."

"No, you don't. I'd hope that people know you're human and can get hurt. I told you, you do a shit job of hiding your feelings sometimes, especially when something hits you as hard as this did." It was Jin's turn to frown. "You don't always have to be the rock, and carry everything on your shoulders."

"You don't get it," Kame said weakly, hanging his had. He looked back at Jin with a frown, his words firm and steady. "You were the one that left first. You don't know what it feels like to be left behind. So you want to know why I _need_ to be the positive one, and the one people can count on? It's because I can't be anything else. It would be selfish to think of myself. It can't fall apart. I won't let it."

Jin looked at Kame for a minute. "You're stupid."

Something flashed in Kame's eyes.

"You'd rather wait, and get hurt time and time again, to think about what _you_ want? That's not being selfless, it's being a goddamn masochist. We all had different goals... dreams... when we started this. You can't expect..."

"I know! God, Jin. _I get it_. I get what you're saying," Kame interrupted. He sounded like he could completely blow up at him any minute. Instead he continued in a calm voice. "I know what I want, I've known for a while now. I just have to wait, because there are more important things to take care of right now. I'm... not you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

At first, Jin thought it was a backhanded insult, but Kame's voice made it sound like it wasn't.

"I can't up and leave everything and hope for the best. I can't be the next one to leave."

Jin's eyes widened with the realization. "You..."

"No, I don't. And... I don't think I ever could. I'm just saying, we've got different ways of reaching our dreams. You like short-cuts, and I... decided to take the long way."

Jin pondered Kame's words for a minute and took a sip of his beer. Maybe Kame was right. He was always the responsible one. Jin really couldn't argue, but he almost felt sorry for Kame, even though he already knew Kame's priorities. He would never put himself before the group, and that was the difference between the both of them.

He sat back and sighed. "Do you think we'll ever meet in the middle somewhere?"

For the first time that night, Kame cracked a halfhearted smile. "We're here now, aren't we?"

Jin hummed in agreement, a long pause stretching between them. Their current relationship (or lack thereof) bothered him. He hated being stuck in limbo, not knowing exactly where they stood. Even after their exchange tonight, Jin felt like he was still in the dark.

So after taking a deep breath he finally asked, "What are we, Kame?"

To that, Kame raised a questioning eyebrow, seemingly surprised by the question.

"I mean, we finally cleared up that we weren't mad at each other. Now... it's kind of weird, you know? When I came over today, I didn't know what to be expect. I thought you would have kicked me out by now," Jin explained with a shrug. "So I don't know. Can you call us friends?"

Kame opened his mouth to speak, but it didn't seem like he could think of the right words to say. He hesitated a couple times before he finally said, "I'd like to think of us as friends, but I'm not so sure anymore either."

There was an unsettled silence between them for a few seconds.

"Maybe we should just... see," Jin suggested. There was a touch of unsurness in his voice.

Kame nodded once. "I'd like that," he said. "It's just been a long time since... and we've both changed. So yeah, we'll see. But... thanks."

"Hm?"

"For coming tonight," Kame told Jin with a shy smile. "You cared enough to come."

Jin's expression relaxed a bit. "I was worried. Just because I... haven't been around, doesn't mean I don't care. I heard things, before it all went down, you know. I just didn't know it would end up like this. I wanted to call you as soon as it happened... but I thought you'd just tell me to get the hell away and mind my own business. And then I saw you on TV today, and I just... I felt like we needed to talk. Took a chance."

"It's good. I'm glad," Kame said, finally taking another sip of his beer. "In a way, I'm glad that it's you that showed up. Not anyone else."

"Why?"

Kame shrugged, just a little hesitant with his answer. “Because it’s… you. I can’t explain it.”

Jin nodded slowly with a hum. He did understand Kame. They always had that awkward, hard-to-decipher kind of relationship. Between them, there were never really explanations needed. Somehow, they just understood. Sometimes it could backfire (if the last three or so years were any sort of proof), but somehow it had worked itself out.

They sat there in silence for the next few minutes, either not knowing what to say or knowing that they’ve said enough.

“I think I should…” Jin started, setting his bottle back down on the table.

“Yeah, it’s late and I have to be on set in the morning…”

They both stood up at the same time, and made their way to the door.

“I gave you my number. You should use it,” Kame mused with a smile as Jin was slipping on his shoes. “It would have saved you the trouble of waiting before.”

“I didn’t want to run the risk of you turning my visit down,” Jin told him truthfully, a hint of teasing in his tone. “Besides, I’m kind of glad we got to talk. More, I mean.”

Kame nodded in agreement as Jin reached for the doorknob. “We could… talk more. Maybe we could go to lunch or dinner or something? You know, catch up… _really_ catch up. Not like accidentally bumping into each other or at a time like… this.”

Jin looked at him curiously for a moment, but then quickly broke out into a grin. “I’d like that.”

“You have my number,” Kame stated again.

“Are you sure you can fit me into your busy schedule?”

“Are _you_ sure that _you_ can? Last I heard, you were getting ready for a few shows.”

Jin beamed at the knowledge that Kame actually _knew_. “I’ll fit you in. I can make a few exceptions for my friends.”

“Idiot.”

There was a long, awkward pause then. Jin shuffled a little at the doorway, wondering if it was time to turn and leave. For some reason or another, he felt cemented in place, unable to turn and take the first step forward. He couldn't think of anything else to say, his eyes darting from side to side, wondering if Kame was expecting him to move.

"Meisa and... Theia." It was the first time Jin had heard Kame say his daughter's name. "Are they well?"

"Good," Jin told him with a nod. It was a bit of a relief that he knew about his arrangement with Meisa. "You should come visit maybe. See Meisa, meet Theia."

"Maybe..." Kame sighed. "When everything calms down for the both of us. You know how everything can be. Paparazzi and all." He smiled, but it looked a bit sad. "Just... tell Meisa I said hi."

"I will." With that, he gave a wave, and turned around. "I'll see you."

"See you," Kame echoed as he watched Jin leave. A moment later, the door was closed.

Jin returned home that night with a smile on his face. Somehow, he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders; one he didn't even realize was there. Maybe it was more of a shadow looming over him that finally cleared. Whatever it was, Jin fell asleep that night with a clear mind, and even more eager anticipation for the road ahead of him.

And Jin began to fly down that road. His schedule was packed with interviews, rehearsals, and promotions. His album was finally released. His tour had kicked off to a great start. His big Hollywood movie finally had its premiere in Japan. Before he knew it, it was nearing the holidays and the end of his tour.

He hadn't planned it then, but it seemed like the right time to acknowledge his past. It may have not been the _best_ way, but he felt like it was the _right_ way. So when he and Joey started singing the hook to _Real Face_ , Jin couldn't help but smile. _Real Face_ was his debut, _their_ debut. _Real Face_ was KAT-TUN. One less, two less; it didn't matter. He may not be part of the lineup anymore, but it didn't make him less proud to have been part of it at one time. If there was a way to show his support, this would be it. He was still a Hyphen. He always would be.

That night as he walked down the hallway to his hotel room, he pulled out his phone and scrolled down to a familiar name in his contacts. He hovered his finger over the call button for a moment, before he tapped it and brought the phone to his ear.

He grinned when he heard someone pick up.

"Hey, Kame. My tour is coming to an end, and I was wondering about that dinner we mentioned a while back..."

The laugh on the other end only made his grin grow wider.


End file.
